Dear PitchSmarter: My boss is adamant about never using temporary or freelance help for pitches–she says they’re likely to leak confidential processes or information. So we get swamped every time we pitch and can’t call for help. Do you think freelancers can be trusted? -Paranoid in Pittsburgh Dear Par: In my experience, the biggest...
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Monthly advice column for people who pitch.
Dear PitchSmarter: Whose Team Is It Anyway?
Dear PitchSmarter: Whenever our team presents to clients, we always use the first person plural pronoun (“we”). We do this whether to describe recommendations for the client, as in, “We need to build our market share”, or to make commitments, eg, “We’ll get a pricing proposal to you by Thursday.” Is it just me,...
Dear PitchSmarter: Finder’s Fees
Dear PitchSmarter: We have a “friend of the business” who is helping generate new business leads for us. She has her own non-advertising company, but has helped sell us to prospective clients. She even help set up our initial meet & greet. We want to give her compensation for this but are having a...
Dear PitchSmarter: The Pitch Box
Dear PitchSmarter: Last week’s pitch was a nightmare. Our laptop’s power cable didn’t reach the outlet, the boss tripped over the projector, the boards fell off the easel, and we looked like a Three Stooges comedy routine. How do we prevent a repeat performance? — Moe in Milwaukee Dear Moe: Simple solution: Make a...
Dear PitchSmarter: Startup Woes
Dear PitchSmarter: My agency’s pitch startup meetings are a disaster! We get bogged down with the team trying to understand the product we’re pitching and its competition, we debate strategy, and we run out of time. Help us! — Dizzy in Delaware Dear Diz: Never forget that what you’re pitching to the client is...
Dear PitchSmarter: Can’t We ‘Design’ It Sooner?
Dear PitchSmarter: When my firm pitches, each presenter creates slides independently, then we meet as a group and walk through all of them. Only then does the deck go to someone to ‘design’ it—which seems to mean harmonizing the type fonts, creating graphs, finding pictures and clip art to decorate the deck, and making...
Dear PitchSmarter: Tempest in a Template
Dear PitchSmarter: Every time my agency does a pitch or major presentation, the art department creates a different template for the slides we use. They say it customizes the pitch to the client and keeps it from seeming ‘canned’. I say it causes delays, confusion, costs, and last-minute scrambles—while distracting the team from pitch-winning...
Dear PitchSmarter: Can’t Take Him Anywhere?
Dear PitchSmarter: A very bright creative guy at my agency comes up with brilliant ideas, but he’s a shambles at presenting work to clients. He looks unkempt, rambles, gets argumentative, etc. so we have to leave him at the agency. His pitch problems not only block his career growth, but put the agency at...
Dear PitchSmarter: What’s ‘chunking’?
Dear PitchSmarter: Someone recently said I should try ‘chunking’ to eliminate ‘ums’ and other filler words. What is it, and how do I, um, do it? — Breathless in Bridgewater Dear Breathless: Some presentation coaches find the usual advice — use more pauses, listen for your own filler words — is difficult for some...
Presenting Digital Creative: Do’s and Don’ts
Ah, for the simplicity of times past. Presenting print creative was easiest of all. We’d just evoke a mental image of the intended audience, then romance the key visual, and talk about how the headline, copy, and tag would lure readers to linger lovingly on the key messages. Broadcast TV was a little trickier....
